Now that you’ve traded your summer frocks for cashmere sweaters and other cold-weather staples, making sure your makeup looks also get the winter wonderland treatment is a must. While months of working from home may have given you fewer reasons to reach for your eye shadows and lip glosses, it’s finally time to end the year on a high note with winter makeup looks that will up your glam factor during this festive season.
What is Winter Makeup?
Deep red lips, smokey eyes and berry tones are the classic go-to looks for the season’s festivities, but winter makeup can also be that “fresh from the slopes/aprés ski look that includes clear skin, pink cheeks and bright eyes with not much shadow,” says Chicago-based celebrity makeup artist Jenny Patinkin. But whether you’re going for a look that’s chic and dramatic or bright and snow-kissed, there’s one winter makeup must-have that’s always on trend: plump and glowy skin.
“Winter makeup sometimes means you are combating the cold and dry climate by ensuring that the skin is hydrated and that you are not using products that will dry out your skin,” explains Lindsay Kastuk, a commercial makeup artist in New York.
Cold temperatures and biting winds can do a number on your skin, so making sure you have a soft, smooth and well-hydrated canvas is just as important as choosing the perfect winter palette that complements your skin tone.
In fact, prepping your skin and keeping it moisturized are the most important steps when creating a winter makeup look, says New York- and California-based celebrity makeup artist Christina Flach. “Getting the skin ready for winter is just as important as being on a sunny beach in the summer. Harsh weather can be incredibly damaging to the skin, so wearing sunscreen during the day and a heavy moisturizer at night is vital for skin to look fabulous when we want to do a wintery makeup,” she adds.
How to Create a Winter Makeup Look
The perfect winter makeup isn’t complete without a glowy, healthy-looking complexion underneath. However, the daily onslaught of indoor heating and harsh weather conditions can easily suck the life out of your skin. To keep “winter face” at bay, give your skin some extra TLC with makeup products that add a much-needed dose of hydration and pampering. We’ve compiled our absolute faves, below.
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$50.00 Buy now with Dermstore Primer: jane iredale Smooth Affair Brightening Face Primer
Buy now with free deliveryMatte primers are total life-savers in the summer, especially when you have oily skin. But during cold weather, your skin will need all the moisture it can get. This hydrating primer not only smoothens your complexion and conceals blemishes and fine lines, but it also leaves your skin with a luminous, glowing-from-within look. The best part? It’s infused with algae and olive leaf extracts that help firm and renew skin.
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$22.20 Buy now with Dermstore Foundation: Illamasqua Beyond Foundation
Buy now with free deliveryThings can quickly go south when you’re using the wrong foundation, even more so when you’re dealing with winter weather. Think dry patches, uneven coverage and cake-y layers. Luckily, this silky, ultra-lightweight foundation glides and blends seamlessly on the skin, leaving it with a dewy, glass-like finish. It also features powerful hydrators (vitamin E and hyaluronic acid), so your skin is getting sheer, natural-looking coverage while staying hydrated and conditioned all day.
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$29.00 Buy now with Dermstore Setting Powder: Dermablend Loose Setting Powder
Buy now with free deliveryThis setting powder is nothing short of a holiday miracle. Translucent and waterproof, it preserves makeup and stays on for up to 16 hours without fading—even as you go about a full day of outdoor activities. Its silky formula blends for a full coverage to keep blemishes and flaws out of sight, leaving your skin with a smooth and natural finish.
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$30.00 Buy now with Dermstore Concealer: Glo Skin Beauty Oil-Free Camouflage Concealer
Buy now with free deliveryLong nights of merrymaking can take a toll on your eye area, especially when you consider the fact that it also tends to be the driest and most sensitive part of your face. So make sure to keep this oil-free concealer handy if you want to keep the sparkle in your eyes. Its highly pigmented formula conceals scars, dark circles, hyperpigmentation and other blemishes while preventing breakouts and protecting your skin from free radical damage.
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$48.00 Buy now with Dermstore Tinted Moisturizer: ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
Buy now with free deliveryIf a streamlined makeup routine is more of your thing, then you may have just found your new best friend. Featuring a unique formula that’s part skin care, part makeup and part sun protection, this light-coverage tinted SPF serum truly does it all. Infused with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and plant-based squalene, it softens the appearance of fine lines and blemishes and leaves your skin with a natural, dewy finish by boosting hydration and sealing in moisture. It also boasts of SPF 40 protection against blue light, UV and infrared rays.
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$38.00 Buy now with Dermstore Highlighter: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Buy now with free delivery“I like a pop of an icy or pink-toned highlighter in the winter,” says Patinkin, and we can’t help but agree! This cream highlighter is all you need to get that hint of shine and sparkle that instantly elevates your winter makeup look. Non-greasy and glitter-free, it casts the most natural, lit-from-within glow by catching and reflecting light while enhancing your skin’s natural radiance with skin-loving ingredients that include organic coconut oil, vitamin E and castor seed oil.
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$68.00 Buy now with Dermstore Blush: Kjaer Weis The Cheek Collective
Buy now with free deliveryWith its universally flattering shades, this blush and highlighter trio is poised to become one of your top winter essentials. It gives just the right amount of subtle glow to enhance your complexion and the perfect pop of color to add contrast and brighten wintery days.
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$60.00 Buy now with Dermstore Lip: By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Balm SPF 15
Buy now with free deliveryThanks to icy cold winds, dry and chapped lips have also become winter staples—but not for long. This ultra-moisturizing lip balm lets you pucker up confidently with its intensely hydrating and regenerative formula that boasts of sun protection and features essential rose wax, floral oils, vitamin E and bio-ceramides.
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$38.00 Buy now with Dermstore Face Mist: ILIA Blue Light Mist
Buy now with free deliveryOne of the things we’ve become more conscious of in the past year is the effect of long-term exposure to blue light on the skin, so it only makes sense to ensure that our skin is protected year-round. And the easiest way to do that is with this multitasking mist that delivers instant moisture to the skin and balances oil production. It works by creating an invisible shield and harnessing the natural filters of hydrolyzed algae to block blue light while boosting hydration with marine actives.
